Uncharted Golden Abyss
Uncharted: Golden Abyss is the fourth entry in the Uncharted series, as well as the series first portable entry. It is also one of the first games to be released for the Playstation Vita. It was developed by SCE Bend Studio, with development overseen by Naughty Dog. The game was released as a launch title in Japan on December 17, 2011. It was launched in North America on February 12, 2012 and Europe on February 22, 2012. Plot The story is set some time before the events of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Nathan Drake is once again the protagonist of the story. Uncover the dark secret behind the 400-year-old massacre of a Spanish expedition as Nathan Drake follows the murderous trail of an ancient and secret Spanish section. Caught in the middle of a rivalry between Jason Dante - his old friend - and Marisa Chase - the grandaughter of an archeologist who has mysteriously vanished without a trace - Nathan races into the treacherous river basins, undiscovered temple ruins and karst caverns of Central America in search of a legendary lost city, only to find himself pushed to the edge of the Golden Abyss. Development The game was developed by SCEA's Bend Studio, overseen by Naughty Dog. The game was officially unveiled with a brief gameplay demo, alongside the announcement of the PlayStation Vita, on January 27, 2011. On June 2, 2011, the official title for the game was unveiled as Golden Abyss, and numerous hands-on previews of the game were released across several sites. This was the first public appearance of the game since its unveiling in January. Prior to the announcement though in May 2011, it was rumored that the game's title would be Uncharted: Golden Abyss, before any official announcement from Sony. The game features touch and motion based controls for navigation and aiming, though these are optional control schemes. The game is being developed by Sony Bend Studio, who are being overseen by Naughty Dog. A brief gameplay demo has been shown. It is known that the game will have an optional touchscreen control feature and motion sensitive controls. In a demo at E3 2011, it was shown that weapons can be picked up and reloaded by tapping the weapon icon on-screen. Bend studio creative director John Garvin has confirmed that Naughty Dog allowed them to use their mo-cap and voice over studios. It has been confirmed the game will contain over 2 hours of cutscenes. Nolan North revealed in an interview that he will return to play Drake, lending his voice acting talents along with motion capture work, as in the console games. He also revealed that the story was also being written by Garvin. According to a motion capture video released from PlayStation, Richard McGonagle is set to return in the game as well as Victor Sullivan. Naughty Dog co-president Christophe Balestra confirmed the game's stance in the franchise, as well as suggesting a greater focus on exploration rather than gunplay. Patch The 1.01 update enabled the use of the "Black Market" ingame store which enables players to trade and receive bounty items that are collected in the game with other Vita players using the PS Vita's "NEAR" application. In addition to this, the patch also prepared the game to use the Treasure Map DLC pack. Downloadable Content The Treasure Map DLC pack was released on the PS Store for $0.99 in US and for 1€ in Europe. This DLC pack adds a treasure map for each chapter to help players easily locate all the collectibles in a chapter. Reception The game received generally favorable reviews. Anthony Severino of PlayStation LifeStyle gave the game a perfect 10 out of 10 score in the first full review of the game. GameTrailers called the game "A powerful tech demo for the PlayStation Vita, but it's also an engaging game that's a blast to play in spurts. Touch screen use is a little heavy-handed and it's missing those 'wow' moments we're used to getting from the franchise, but it's a solid action adventure with production values strong enough to quell any sense of system buyer's remorse." IGN stated "The game is great and an impressive launch title for the PlayStation Vita. It's just that the Uncharted series has been known for being a story-driven experience, and Golden Abyss goes in another direction. It's a beautiful, fun game with tons of collectibles, plenty of laughs, and some cool twists on a franchise PlayStation fans know so well. It's just not an instant classic like the other entries in the series." Game Revolution noted "... all the game's complaints won't detract from the simple fact that this is Uncharted on a handheld. It's just slightly diminished. Golden Abyss is more like Drake's Fortune than it is Deception-it doesn't span that many environments, has smaller set pieces, and lacks online multiplayer." Game Informer commented "For the first time, we're able to play a handheld game with the scale and production values of a home console title. The base level of craftsmanship on display in Golden Abyss means you'll get your money's worth – but not a penny more. I wish all the perspiration expelled in the making of the game had been complemented by a bit more inspiration." GamesRadar cited "It's mostly there - the charm, the gameplay, the visual presentation - but there are some key elements missing. The level design leaves much to be desired, and without the cinematic moments the experience simply isn't incredibly strong. It's still an extremely solid cover shooter with a strong story and some fine platforming elements, but as far as an Uncharted game, it comes up short of what we've come to expect." Eurogamer stated "While the absence of multiplayer means it won't last you as long as previous instalments, new control options have allowed the developers to line the seams of Drake's adventure with flashy tassels and detailing that make for a varied and entertaining outing - perhaps even more so than its big brothers." Electronic Gaming Monthly commented "A story worthy of the franchise, Uncharted: Golden Abyss falls short in terms of pacing and controls, as the touchscreen gimmick takes the experience down a big notch." GameSpot felt that "Golden Abyss is full of disappointments. The action set pieces are great, but there's too few of them; the voice acting is exemplary, but the narrative doesn't do it justice; the touch and motion controls work well for some actions, but they ruin others. For every moment of enjoyment you have, something comes along to spoil it. Despite its problems, though, Golden Abyss still succeeds in delivering some intense, entertaining action and combat." Awards Golden Abyss received the first award at the Gamescom 2011 for Best Mobile Game before release. It is also nominated as Most Wanted Mobile Game at Computec Games Award. Links *Uncharted: Golden Abyss™ at PlayStation.Com *Official website *SCE Bend Studio website Category:Ps vita games Category:2012 video games